Remember Money You cant eat! But you can make easy food for poor people!

Look and read!

Know you the new Directory MARINE RESERVES in the VISAYAS Philippines from Dr. Angel Alcala, Abner A.Bucol and Porita Nilos Kleiven?

ISBN 978-971-94409-0-1

We are inside read oure facts and compare it!

Look to the point 26 and read the table this you can arrive in only 4 years!!!!

And outside this area the local fisherman can get with hock and line fish all days!

Hallo Martin,

 

danke für die Info, die über Umwege zu uns gekommen ist. Wir freuen uns zu hören, dass du dich dafür engagierst, dass die Taucher sich von der Harpunenfischerei abwenden. Obwohl ich mit einer nachhaltigen Harpunen/Speer-Fischerei leben kann (ohne Pressluftfalsche), die von Einheimischen für den Eigenverzehr praktiziert wird, stört mich doch sehr, dass viele dies als spannenden Sport bezeichnen. Zudem haben viele keine Hemmungen, die Riffe respektlos und ignorant einfach leer zu fischen. Wie die Person von Beuchat zwar sagt, unterstützen sie nur die Apnoe Harpunenfischerei, doch ein Grossteil ihrer Produkte wird wohl eher für die destruktivere Variante verwendet. Zudem sollte es uns Tauchern doch am Herzen liegen, dass die Fische da bleiben, wo sie sind und wir sie täglich bestaunen können. Ich stör mich jedes Jahr von neuem an den vielen Harpunenangeboten an den Tauchmessen (abgesehen von der Boot, da sieht man fast oder gar keine solche Angebote). Ich hoffe, dass da bald ein Umdenken stattfindet. Wir waren soeben kürzlich mit Beuchat in Kontakt wegen einem Projekt. Da Beuchat jedoch stark in der Harpunenfischerei etabliert ist, kommen sie für uns als Sponsoren nicht in Frage, was wir ihnen auch so mitteilen werden.

 

Wenn gleichzeitig noch möglichst viele Taucher ihre Meinung dazu sagen, dann ist dies am effektivsten.

 

Vielen Dank für deinen Einsatz und liebe Grüsse

Dominic   

 

Dominic Ziegler

Manager

 

Project AWARE Foundation Europe

Divers Conserving Underwater Environments^SM

remeber money kill all???

Dear E??,

 

There are many of us divers who dive because we love to watch maginificent fishes in their natural habitat. I am sure many of your customers believe in ethical practices of the sport, and more of them are diving because of the love for marine life and not for a living. There is a worrying trend that these awesome predators of the reef is in a fast decline worldwide. In most areas, killing of predator reeef fishes has become unsustainable. Hunting has become relentless, and it can disrupt the whole food chain off. That’s bad news not just for us who spend our own money to help conserve marine life for the community, it will also kill your market for scuba equipment. As breeding stocks for these fishes go, the other marine life also deteriotrate, as it is really a part of the ecosystem. Dive equipment companies like yours should support marine reserves and get updated on what is actually happening so you can also stop producing products that encourage sport fishing. You can promote handline fishing - it may not be flashy, but it follows the rules, pays the bills, and over time, will keep these great fishes in the water. It will also keep your company, too.

 

Martin und Team

Dive-Hub-Antulang

Perfect Solution for High Quality Divers

ITC -Center

Instructor Training Center

Barangay Si-It, Siaton Negros Oriental

Cel.No.+639293486801

Fax: : +4932121155941

Martin.Jordan@web.de

http://www.dive-philippinen.com

 

Von: E??
Gesendet: Dienstag, 3. November 2009 10:02
An: Martin Jordan
Betreff: Re: AW: Beuchat Newsletter / Nov 09 / Philippines Edition

 

Dear Martin,

 

Let me explain you a little about spearfishing. Personally,  I’ve been living in Asia the last past 5 years, and I know how they practice spearfishing: Asian mainly use tanks, don’t respect any endangered species, etc. The respect of environment is not well shown with this practice. 

The spearfishing that Beuchat supports, is the “real” sport, it’s breath holding spearfishing, which has been practiced for centuries, many ethnics used to fish with an harpoon underwater with breath holding (Melanesia, Polynesia, Indonesian, etc.). Beuchat has been developing products (spearguns, diving suits etc.) to practice spearfishing in different waters (from tropical to cold). The competitions we support respect the environment, the endangered species, etc. Moreover all fishes are not wasted, they will be food to the competitors and family. Which is more respectful for a sustainable development than the dynamite fishing, over fishing or the shark fins fishing which you can encounter in Philippine’s waters, and even in other Asian countries water, and more.

Finally I hope with this explanation you can understand that Beuchat cares and is aware of our environment.

It will be my pleasure to answer you if you need more explanations or information on this matter.

Best regards,

E?? 

Join us at DEMA / Orlando - USA / November 4 – 7, 2009 / Booth 857 - 753

 

Become a Beuchat fan  

 

 

 

On 01/11/2009, at 9:56 PM, Martin Jordan wrote:

 

I fount it  very bat that a company how Beuchat make a Spearfishing
competition, one company more they not understand the time in the we live!

Martin und Team
Dive-Hub-Antulang

Perfect Solution for High Quality Divers
ITC -Center
Instructor Training Center
Barangay Si-It, Siaton Negros Oriental
Cel.No.+639293486801
Fax: : +4932121155941
Martin.Jordan@web.de
http://www.dive-philippinen.com

—–Ursprüngliche Nachricht—–
Von: E??
Gesendet: Sonntag, 1. November 2009 06:27
An: elucien
Betreff: Beuchat Newsletter / Nov 09 / Philippines Edition

Dear Philippines’s Dive Centers,

Please find attached our November 09 newsletter in which we announce the
Maldives government dives for climate change, Beuchat & Redang Pelangi
marine aware project, Beuchat Spearfishing competitions and our new dive
computer release.

Don’t hesitate to contact me for any inquiries,

Best regards,

E??  
Asia Pacific Regional Manager

how we get dayli poisend from the one dark wather and from Mining

 

Thammasat Int. J. Sc. Tech., Vol.5, No.2, May -August 2000

Amplification of Mercury Concentrationsin

the Marine Food Chain of the East Coast of

1. Introduction

Mercury coumpounds are utilized on a

wide scale both in industry and agriculture

Mercury from industrial and agricultural wastes

accumulatein soil and water, and is partially

transportetdo the aquatice nvironmentw, hich in

turn becomesa sourceo f contaminationo f fish

and other organisms. The ability of some

microorganismsto methylatein organicm ercury

to the moreb iologicals tablea lkyl formsa ndt he

more toxic forms further increasesth e dangero l

contamination[1 ]. The concerna boutm ercury

pollutioni n the marinee nvironments tartedi n

the 1950s with the case of Minamata in Japan

where severapl eopled iedo r became.terminally

sick after consuming fish and

’strett

fish

containing relatively high concentrationso f

methyl mercury [2]. High levels of mercury

were also found in fish from Swedish lakes and

streamsT. he principalm ercuryc ontaminatioonf

these fish was reported to be an organic form of

methyl mercury [3].

Thailand

Voravit CheevaPorn

Departmento f Aquatic ScienceB, uraphaU niversity,B angsaen,

Chonburi 20 13 1, Thailand

Imelda Velasquez

MarineS cienceIn stituteU, niversityo f theP hilippines,

Diliman,Q uezonI l0l, PhiliPPines

Piamsak Menasveta

Aquatic ResourcesR esearchIn stitute,C hulalongkornU niversify,

Bangkok I 0330, Thailand

Abstract

Threeh undreda nd ninetys ampleso f marineo rganismsw erec ollectedf rom the EastC oasto f

Thailandf or total mercurya nalysis.T he resultsi ndicatedt hat mercuryl evelso f fish and other marine

organisms from the East Coast of Thailand are within the safety limit. However, biological

ma’gnificationo f mercuryr esiduei n the marinef ood chainw as observedO. rganismso f highert rophic

levelsh ave higher mercuryr esiduet han thosei n the lower trophic levels.S tatisticaal nalysiss howed

positive linear iegression between the size of the marine organisms and mercury contents of some

specieosf marineo rganisms.

Many studies on a wide range of marine

fish have reportedp ositivec orrelationsb etween

mercury concentration and a measure of age,

weight,o r lengtho f fish [4,5,6,7,8,9]T. his may’

however, reflect the increased interest in

mercury as a potential threat to human health’

Despitet his tendencyf or mercuryt o increasein

concentrationw ith increasings izelageo f some

fish, muscle mercury levels tend to be less than

I ppm with kidney and liver levels slightly

higheIr l 0 . l l . l 2 . l 3 l .

In 1975, the total mercury contents ot

fish in the Gulf of Thailand ranged from 0 to

0.58 ppm [4]. In the same year, traces of total

mercury were found in the marine food chain of

Bang Prac oastaal reao f Chonburip rovinceI l]

which tend to increasea t highert rophic levels

and accordingto the sizeo f organisms. Since

Thailand is one of the countries where the

nationwide fish consumption is comparatively

high, further study on the contamination of

mercuryi n fish and other marineo rganismsis

essential.

A A

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Sample collection and treatment

Samples for mercury analysis were

collected from Station A (Angsila) Station B

(Laem Chabang) subdivision of Chonburi

province and Station C (Ban Pae) subdivision of

Rayong province(Fig. l). Fish samples were

collected from the catch by otter trawl in

January 1999. The species of fish and other

organisms from which samples were taken

ranged from the lower trophic level to the higher

trophic levels. Plankton samples were collected

by a plankton net. All of the samples were

preservedin a freezera t approximately-2 0 oC.

For fish assay the samples were thawed and

dissected with a stainless steel knife, and a

portion of muscle under the dorsal fin, kidney,

liver, gill, and stomach were dried in the freeze

dryer and used for mercury determination.

2.2 Mercury analysis

Total mercury levels in fish and other

organismsw ere determinedb y meanso f Colc

Vapor analysist echniquesO. ne gram of tissue

was digested in 20 ml of I :1 conaentratecr

redistilled HNO3 and concentratedH zSOq, and

further oxidized with 10 mL of saturated

KzSzOs solution. Excess oxidizing agents and

mercury ions were reduced by l0 mL of

reducing solution (3%NaBHa in l% NaOH) in

hydride generatora pparatus,a nd then mercury

was vaporized and measured in the flamelesss

atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

A Perkin-Elmer 3300 atomic absorption

spectrophotometer (The Perkin-Elmer

Corporation, Norwalk, CT) equipped with a

MHS-I0 mercury hydride system was used to

determine the total mercury concentration of

each sample. The accuracy of these

determination was verified with a standard

reference material DOLT-1 (dogfish liver :

0.225 + 0.057 ppm Hg) of the National Research

Council of Canada. Results of analysis are

within the range of + 10 %.

ThammasaInt t.J . Sc.T ech.V, ol.5,N o.2,M ay- August2 000

3. Results and Discussion

One hundred and seventy samples of 5

species of fish, one hundred and eight samples

of2 specieso fcrustacean,f ifty-four sampleso f

I species of shellfish, fifty-four samples of I

species of squid and four samples of plankton

from the East Coast of Thailand were analysed

for total mercury. Results showed that total

mercury concentrations ranged from 0.002 -

0.714 ppm (dry weight) with the mean value of

0.118 ppm. While those found in 1975 in the

adjacent area ranged from 0-0.58 ppm [4]. Of

the total of 390 samples analysed, 20 %

contained less than 0.05 ppm of total mercury,

79 %o had a total mercury content between 0.05 -

0.5 ppm and I o/o contained over 0.5 ppm.

According to Menasveta t 1] , these

concentration can be regarded as a natural

background of mercury for fish in general. It

should be noted that only 3 samples were found

having total mercury levels above the United

States Food and Drug Administration tolerance

limit of 0.5 ppm.

Table 1 gives the mean and standard

deviationo f total mercury concentrationsin the

four trophic levels. The mean values of total

mercury for the first and second trophic levels

( compositeds pecieso f plankton) from station

A (Angsila) and B (Laem Chabang) were 0.004

and 0.007 ppm, respectively. The mercury

residue concentration in the third trophic level

was higher than the first and second trophic

levels.T he meanv aluesw ere0 .068.0 .1 12,a nd

0.053 ppm for station A, B, and C respectively.

The mean values of the fourth trophic level

have higherm ercuryr esidueth ant hosei n third

trophic level as shown in Tablel. Student’t'test

showed significant difference in total mercury

concentrationbse tweentr ophicl evelsI + ll and

trophic level III and between trophic levels III

and IV ( p < 0.5 ). The lowest mercury residue

( 0.002 ppm ) was detected in the composite

specieso f planktonw hile the highestm eroury

residue (0.714 ppm) was detected in Loligo

formosana (Splendid squid). This species was

categorized in trophic level IV

25

ThammasaItn t..J.S c.T ech.,V ol.5,N o.2, May August2 000

Table l: Total mercury contents (ppm) in different trophic levels from three sampling stations

( Angsila, Laem Chabang, and Rayong )

A) Angsila station

Trophic levels No. of samples standardd eviation

I

B) Laem Chabang station

Trophicl evels No. of samples standardd eviation

C) Rayong station

Trophicl evels No. of samples standardd eviation

Based on the above analysis, it can be

concluded that there is a biological

magnification of mercury residue in the marine

food chain of the East Coast of Thailand’ Fish of

higher trophic levels contain higher mercury

residue than those in the lower trophic levels

(Fig. 2). This suggests that mercury may be

concentratedin the same mannera s an organic

compounds uch as organochlorinec ompounds,

i.e., passed through and amplified by the food

chain. The concept also conforms to the the

datap resentedb y Johnelse t al. [3], Scott[ 15] ‘

andM enasveta[l ].

Statisticala nalysiss howed positivel inear

resression between the size of the marine

organisms (weight) and mercury contents of

some species of marine organisms. Figure 3

gives the exampleo f the linear regressionin

Peneausm erguiensis( White shrimp), Portunus

pelagicus (Blue swimming crab), Mytilus edulis

( Green mussel), Sillago maculata (Trumpeter

sillago), and Atule mate (Banded crevalle)

collected from stationB. (Laem Chabang)’

However, the results showed different

correlation between size and mercury contents

in different sampling stations for other

organisms. The positive linear regression

between agelor weight and mercury contents of

fish is welldocumentedb y Scott[ 15].

26

Figure 4. showed the mean values of

mercury content in various marine organisms

collected from 3 sampling stations. The results

indicated that Portunus pelagicus ( Blue

swimming crab)(0.240 ppm), Loligo formosana

(Splendids quid)(0.325p pm) and Atule mate

(Bandedc revalle)( 0.387p pm) havet heh ighest

mercury content among other marine organisms

colfected from Angsila, Laem Chabang, and

Rayong respectively. However, the average

mercuryc ontento f thesem arine’organismfsr om

the East Coast of Thailand were lower than the

United States Food and Drug Administration

tolerance limit of 0.5 ppm.

The mercury contents in various tissues

such as kidney, stomach, gill, muscle, and liver

of Epinephelus corallicola (Grouper) collected

from station b. ( Laem Chabang) were analysed.

Highest mercury residues were found in kidney

and liver respectivel(y Fig. 5 ). This is probably

due to their high affinity for sulphur containing

ligands such as sulhydryl (-SH) group in

metallothionine in fish’s kidney and liver as

described by De [6]. Similar results were

reported by Thongra-ar [7] in 1988.

The resultso f this studyi ndicatedth att he

average mercury content of fish and other

marine organisms from the Eastern Coast of

Thailand was lower than the United States Food

and Drug Administraton tolerance limit of 0.5

ppm. The mean value of 0.118 ppm for total

mercury is only one-fourth of this tolerance

limit. However it is probably not practical to

consider this recommended level without

correlatingi t to the frequencyo f consumptionI.t

was estimated that the fish/sea food

consumption rate among Thai people is 20

kg/person/year[8 ]. This level is equal to 55

g/person/dayI.f the mean total mercury content

of fish and other marine organisms is 0.118

ppm, it can be calculated that the daily intake of

mercury through fish/seafood consumption is

6.49 pglperson/day for Thai people. This value

is greater than 4 pglperson/day as reported from

Sweden [19]. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert

Committee on Food Additives proposed that the

provisional tolerate-weekly intake (PTWI) of

mercury for man be set at 0.0033 mg/kg bodyweight

for methyl mercury. This value is equato

to PTWI of 0.2 mg. mercury as methyl

mercury, for an average body-weight of 60 kg

The daily mercury intake of 6.49 pglpersonlday

ThammasaItn t. J. Sc.T ech.,V ol.5,N o.2, May -August 2000

which we derived from this study, would

contribute to weekly intake of 0.045 mg/person.

This level is only one-fourth of PTWI of

mercury ( assuming that all mercury contributed

by fish and other marine organisms is in the

form of methyl mercury). It is therefore, the

mercury levels of fish and other marine

organisms from the East Coast of Thailand are

within the safety limit for consumption.

4. Conclusions

The resulto f this study indicatest hat the

mercury levels .of fish and other marine

organisms from the East Coast of Thailand are

within the safety limit. However, the situation

may changei n the future,b ecausea t presento ur

country is still at developing stage. Modern

agriculturatle chniquesi,n cludinge xtensiveu se

of pesticides, coupled with industrial

developmentw, ill probably increaset he amount

of mercury in the environment in the future.

Hence, the plan for monitoring, proper

protection and control of mercury residue in

Thailand’s environment should be formulated

andi mplementewd ithoutd elay.

5. Acknowledgements

This investigationis financiallys upported

by The Thailand Research Fund (TRF). The

authors thank Mrs. Rattana Cheevaporn, Ms.

WannaK osillawatf or theirt echnicaal ssistance.

6. References

tl] MenasvetaP, ., Total Mercury in the Food

Chain of Bang Pra Coastal Area Cholburi,

J. Sci.Soc. Thailand, Yol. 2, pp.1l7-126,

1976.

l2l Kurland,L., The Outbreak of Neurological

Disorder in Minamata, Japan, and Its

Relationshipto the Ingestiono f Seafood

Contaminated by Mercuric Compounds,

WorldN eurol,V ol. 1,pp.3703- 95, 1960.

t3l Johnels,A .G., WestermarkT, ., Berg, W.,

PerssonP, .I.,a nd SjostrandB, ., Pike( Esox

lucius L.) and Some other Aquatic

Organisms in Sweden as Indicators of

Mercury Contamination in the

Environment, Oikos, Vol.18, pp.323-333,

1967.

2′7

t4l Menasveta, P. and Siriyong, R., Mercury

Content of SeveralP redaciousF ish in the

Andaman Sea. Man Pollut. Bull., Vol.l9,

pp.80,1977.

t5] Rivers, J.B., Pearson, J.E., and Shultz,

C.D., Total and Organic Mercury in Marine

Fish, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.,

Vol.8,p p.2571, 972.

t6l Shultz, C.D. and Ito, B.M., Mercury and

Selenium in Blue Marlin Makaira

Nigricans from the Hawaiian Islands, Fisft.

Bull, Y ol.1 6, pp.872, 197 9.

Ul Thomson,J .D., Mercury Concentrationso f

the Axial Muscle Tissues of Some Marine

Fishes of the Continental Shelf Adjacent to

Tasmania, Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res.,

Vol. 36, pp.509,1979.

t8l Walker, T.1., Effects of Species, Sex,

Length and Locality on the Mercury

Content of School Shark Galeorhinus

Australis (Macleay) and Gummy Shark

Mustelus antarticus Guenther from South-

Eastern Australian Waters, Aust. J. Mar.

FreshwateRr es.,V ol. 27, pp.603,1 979.

t9l Watling, R.J., McClurg, T.P., and Stanton,

R.C., Relation between MercurY

Concentrationa nd Size in the Mako Shark,

Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., Yol. 26′

pp.352, 1979.

[10] Chvojka, R. and Williams R’J., Mercury

Levels in Six Species of Australian

Commercial Fish, Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater

Res.V, ol.3l, pp.4691, 980.

[11] Greig, R.A. and Krzynonek. J., Mercury

Concentrationsin Three Specieso f Tunas

Collected from Various Oceanic Waters’

Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., Yol. 22,

pp.120,1979.

ThammasaItn t. J. Sc.T ech.,V ol.5, No.2, May -August 2000

[12] Kai, N., Ueda, T., Takeda, M., and

Kataoka, A.., On Mercury and Selenium in

Tuna Fish Tissues. VIII. Thelevels of

Mercury and Selenium in Albacore from

the Indian Ocean, J. Shimonoseki Univ.

FisheriesV, ol.3l, pp.69,1 983.

[3] Lyle, J.M., Mercury and Selenium

Concentrations in Sharks from Northern

Australian Waters, Aust. J. Mar.

FreshwateRr es,V ol.37, pp.309,1 983.

[4] National Marine Science Committee, Third

Pollution Survey ( GuU of Thailand), The

National Research Board of Thailand,

19′76.

[15] Scott, D.M., Mercury Concentration of

White Muscle in Relation to Age, Growth

and Condition in four Species of Fishes

from Cfay Lake, Ontario, J. Fish. Res.

Board.C an,Y ol.3l, pp.1723-l’ 729,1 976.

[6] De,A.K., Environmental Chemistry, Wiley

EasternL imited,N ew Delhi, 1994.

[17] Thongra-ar,W ., Mercury Contentsi n Some

Economic Fish from the Eastern Coast of

Thailand, Research Report No. 3412531,

Marine Science Institute, Burapha

UniversityT, hailand,1 994.

[18] Man, J.C.,C omplemenC, . and Murdoch,

W.R., Thailand;F isheryD evelopmenat nd

Management Policies, Programmes and

Institutional Anangements TINDP/FAO,

South China Sea Fisheries Development

and Coordinating Programme, Manila,

Philippines1, 994.

[9] Nilsson, T., Skerfving, S. and Svensson,

P.G.,C onsumptiono f Fisha ndE xposureto

Methylmercury Through Fish in Swedish

Males.P ollutionA bst,Y o1.5,p p.90,1 972.

28

Thammasaltn t. J. Sc. Tech.,V ol.S, No.2, May -August 2000

Figure5 Averagem ercuryc ontenitn variousti ssueso f Epinephelucso rallicola

( Grouper)

Epinephelus corallicola

 

 

 

A sampel with ddt mercury is follow

Biomagnification: how DDT becomes concentrated as it passes through a food chain

The figure shows how DDT becomes concentrated in the tissues of organisms representing four successive trophic levels in a food chain.

The concentration effect occurs because DDT is metabolized and excreted much more slowly than the nutrients that are passed from one trophic level to the next. So DDT accumulates in the bodies (especially in fat). Thus most of the DDT ingested as part of gross production is still present in the net production that remains at that trophic level.

This is why the hazard of DDT to nontarget animals is particularly acute for those species living at the top of food chains.

For example,

• spraying a marsh to control mosquitoes will cause trace amounts of DDT to accumulate in the cells of microscopic aquatic organisms, the plankton, in the marsh.
• In feeding on the plankton, filter-feeders, like clams and some fish, harvest DDT as well as food. (Concentrations of DDT 10 times greater than those in the plankton have been measured in clams.)
• The process of concentration goes right on up the food chain from one trophic level to the next. Gulls, which feed on clams, may accumulate DDT to 40 or more times the concentration in their prey. This represents a 400-fold increase in concentration along the length of this short food chain.

There is abundant evidence that some carnivores at the ends of longer food chains (e.g. ospreys, pelicans, falcons, and eagles) suffered serious declines in fecundity and hence in population size because of this phenomenon in the years before use of DDT was banned (1972) in the United States.

Link to more on DDT and its effects on wildlife.

A lot of this poisen coms with the dark wather in the see and with the food back, bon appetit!

Information over the Daytona Mining

The Owner is a Gold Mining Company PACIFIC RIM

This is a txt out of the Pacific RIM Website:

“In the pursuit of its goals, Pacific Rim merged with Dayton Mining Corporation in April, 2002. Pacific Rim is the surviving corporate entity. Dayton Mining was an international mineral resource company with two significant assets, including the El Dorado gold project in El Salvador — a project that Pacific Rim believes has the potential to meet its strategic criteria. Dayton additionally brought to the merger its 49% interest in the Denton-Rawhide gold mine in Nevada, the Andacollo gold mine in Chile, which has ceased operating and is currently undergoing reclamation, and approximately US $2 million in cash. In addition to its management and exploration expertise, Pacific Rim contributed to the merged company the US $3.4 million generated from its sale of the Diablillos project.”

The Risk for the Coastline from Bayawan to Dauin and the Fischer is big then to get Gold out of Sand you must use Mercury  and how danger this is we must not expain.

But we have to explain, that this Mercury goes in the Food Chain over every step up to 10 high 2 concentrated  and the Food Chain starts by the algin to the zooplankton to the shrimps to the smallest Fish to the bigger Fish to the Fish we eat!!!!!!!!

This are in the Minimum 5 Steps this mean 10 high 10 concentrated Poison!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where are this, they poison us? For Gold can you eat this?

 

 

 

Environmentalists in southern Negros Oriental

A.C. Alcala

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the good work of the Sibulan Local Government officials and their Bantay Dagat in coastal resource management (CRM) by protecting their marine reserves and the marine biodiversity in their coastal zone. Some of the endangered species that they are protecting are the sea turtles. What impressed me is the fact that the local communities along the shoreline are aware of the need to protect and manage these resources, as shown by their action in saving the eggs laid by a female turtle. This is an indication of the successful campaign for the conservation of marine resources in this town.

Today, I would like to commend the environmentalists in the town of Siaton, Negros Oriental, a town that is not known for the commitment to manage its coastal and marine resources. In fact, it is a town where apparently some barangay and municipal officials, including some members of the Bantay Dagat, are in cahoots with some people (some coming from Dumaguete who refuse to give their names) who use destructive fishing methods such as SCUBA to spearfish (spearfishing with SCUBA is not allowed) in marine reserves in violation of the rules governing marine protected areas.  I even have some information (to be verified of course) that one or two from the DENR office in Dumaguete are among the culprits.

It takes much courage on the part of these environmentalists to oppose those who would destroy the marine environment, and I commend their dedication to the cause of good environment. I congratulate them for risking their lives for the sake of the environment.

I would like to congratulate Gena Dayon, Martin Jordan and Tony Yucor for their valiant efforts in protecting the marine resources in Antulang, Siit, Siaton. Through their efforts, a number of turtle nests in their beaches have been protected. Several hatchlings have been allowed to return to the sea.

Also, through their efforts, a small marine reserve has been established in Antulang and is protected by them, almost without the help of government officials; in fact, despite the attempts of some people in the area to destroy this reserve. This marine reserve has been monitored by our group at SUAKCREM and has been found to be an excellent reserve with a large fish biomass and high species richness that exceeded our expectations for marine reserves because in two years of protection, the biomass doubled. This marine reserve seems to be an exceptional case because doubling in biomass can be expected only after 3-4 years of protection. There must be favorable environmental factors in the Siit area that are responsible for this phenomenon, but these factors would be nullified if there were no good protection.

I should not forget to point out that this marine reserve is now attracting many visiting SCUBA divers and is earning for the town of Siaton and of course also for resorts where these divers operate from. This development definitely helps in the tourism program of the country.

In our CRM program, we should engage all our people in the activities that are needed to successfully manage our marine resources, whether they are our own people or they are from somewhere else. What matters is that the environment is kept in healthy condition and is sustained for future use by those coming after us. Everyone in our country should play his part in sustainable development. Our local environment is part of the global environment. What we do here affects other areas. It therefore does not make sense to discriminate others who are not Filipinos in the same way that Filipinos in other lands should not be discriminated against.

Negros Oriental is the leading province in CRM. We all take pride in this fact, and we look forward to the day when all towns in the province are models of marine conservation. But we have to see to it that Dumaguete, the capital city is also a model city, which unfortunately is not yet the case. The only one marine reserve in Dumaguete is a non-functional reserve, and is quite an embarrassment to all of us. This reminds me of the comment of one national observer, who said “Silliman University in Dumaguete City is known for its environmental achievements outside the city, but it has a problem of water pollution on its campus.”   

Just als this turtels coms out the hole siit bay was blockt by a ilegal gill net (all this turtels) be get die!

 

Mr. Roger A. de Dios

Regional Director

Mines and Geosciences Bureau

White Plaines Subdivision, Banilad

Mandaue City, Cebu

 

SUBJECT:  OBJECTION TO APPLICATION OF OFFSHORE MINING EXPLORATION

 

Dear Mr. de Dios:

 

Thank you for referring the application for offshore mining exploration of Daytona Mining and Development Corporation. The mining areas being targeted for exploration are classified as fishing and tourism zones and provide jobs, food, ecological services, recreation and tourism opportunities that play critical roles not only in our municipality’s economy, but benefits our  country`s  comprehensive policy on environmental protection where all local governments are obliged in all measures to consistently apply RA 8550 where we are mandated to safeguard the health of the marine environment, and  prevent, reduce, and control of its pollution and degradation.  Siaton has currently three Marine Protected Areas and shall continue to establish more as our coasts are lined with coral reefs that make these ideal for conservation.   We have also learned that offshore mining of magnetite in Cagayan has increased the area´s vulnerability to floods as magnetite holds the sand together. The absence of magnetite in the sand can deplete the coastal and near-shore areas as now being experienced in La Union.

 

Though Pres. Arroyo  “harmonized”  conflicting laws that contradict the Mining Act in 2004, we believe that we still have to follow international laws that protect our coasts from further degradation by industrial and commercial activities onshore and offshore that affect habitat loss, rising sea levels, ocean acidification that lead to climate change.  The value of our marine resources is not a trade-off between the economy and the environment, and we need to ensure accountability for all of our actions affecting ocean, coasts, and marine resources.  Our coastal resources therefore require protection as we have a stewardship responsibility for the benefit of this and future generations.

 

We hope that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources review existing environmental policies to ensure integration and collaboration across jurisdictional lines in meeting the objectives of our regional governance structures, and national and international policies for our oceans and coasts that we can employ an integrated and comprehensive ecosystem-based approach that addresses conservation and sustainable use of our country`s very precious coral reefs. For such reasons, we strongly object to all offshore mining explorations in our municipality.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Gena Dayon

FISH AND CORAL SUBSTRATE TRENDS, DIVE HUB SANCTUARY 2008-2009

 

Portia Joy Nillos-Kleiven¹, MSc & Brian Stockwell, MSc¹

^{___________________________}

[1]Silliman University-Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management (SUAKCREM)

2/F Silliman University-Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences, Bantayan, Dumaguete City, 6200

Telefax: (035) 4225698 email: portianillos@yahoo.com, suakcrem@yahoo.com

 

 

Introduction/Rationale

 

            Marine protected areas or marine sanctuaries have proven to be the best option in the Philippines for addressing the issue of declining near-shore and coral reef fisheries. In the Visayas, there are currently 564 marine protected areas that are established, with the majority being community-based and small I size (about 5 hectares on average).  Among major islands with established MPAs, Negros Island has the highest percentage (ca. 50.98%) of functional marine protected areas (Alcala, Bucol, and Nillos-Kleiven, in press), with the municipality of Dauin unsurprisingly heading the list of municipality with the most number of functional MPAs.

 

            Sadly, in the municipality of Siaton, only one marine protected area made it to the list of functional MPAs—and it is not even legally considered as a marine sanctuary yet.  This is the proposed Dive Hub Antulang MPA located in Sitio Antulang, Si-it, Siaton.  This report contains the results of technical surveys conducted in August 2008 and July 2009 inside and outside the proposed MPA.  It is hoped that these results will encourage the local government unit of the municipality to fast track the legal process of establishing the said MPA, and also to encourage better management of other MPAs in the municipality.

 

Study Site

 

            The study site is a small reserve/sanctuary that was protected since 2007 thru the efforts of a local resort, Dive Hub Philippines (Figure 1, next page).   The area is directly in front of the resort, and has an area of approximately 300 sq meters (1/3 hectare), which is very small in terms of marine sanctuary standards.  Heavy fishing pressure is evident in the area, with many commercial fishing boats regularly fishing not far from shore, as well as locals regularly fishing outside the proposed MPA with spear guns, fishing pots, and hook-and-lines. 

 

            However, because of the constant protection and vigilance of the Dive Hub staff, the small area inside the boundaries have remarkably recovered well, and is fast becoming a favorite dive site for divers, both local and foreign.  The reef inside the boundaries of the MPA is remarkably diverse for such a small area, and the fish community one can observe is akin to areas that have been protected for a long time.  This small area is a microcosm of what the reefs around Siaton probably used to be—and perhaps a vision of what these reefs can be if only they are properly protected.

Dive Hub Antulang proposed MPA

Fig. 1. Location of the proposed Dive Hub marine protected area study site (white arrow), with adjacent control site (yellow arrow)

 

 

 

Materials and Methods

 

Standard survey methods for fish (Fish Visual Census) and corals (Point-Intercept method) (English et al., 1997) were used in this survey. Fish species identification was confirmed using field guides (Allen and Steene 1997; Allen, Steene, Humann, and Deloach, 2003). Only easily visible, non-cryptic species were included. Corals were classified only according to life-forms (massive, branching, etc.)  For each study area, a deep (10-12 m) and a shallow (3-5m) station was surveyed, each station composing of  three 50-m transects. The transects were laid out in a consistent depth following the contour of the reef, separated by 10 m in between transects.

 

            Fish biomass was calculated using the formula:  W= a x L^b, where a and b  are constants that were obtained from FishBase 2000.  Fish density is expressed as the average number of fish observed for 500 m² in three transects.  Fish were also categorized as target (those that are often targeted by fishers, such as parrotfishes (Scaridae), breams (Nemipteridae), fusiliers (Caesionidae), goatfishes (Mullidae), snappers (Lutjanidae), emperors (Lethrinidae), jacks (Carangidae) and groupers (Serranidae) among others. The last 4 families are considered as “Predators”. Non-target fish are butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae), angelfishes (Pomacanthidae), damselfishes (Pomacentridae), wrasses (Labridae), anthias (Anthininae), cardinalfishes (Apogonidae), and others. 

 

For corals, percentage cover for a particular substrate was determined using the following formula:                   __number of substrate points_ ­­­­­  x 100

                                        Total number of points (100)

 

The category LHC or Live Hard Coral is determined by adding up the following categories: CB (branching non-acroporid), CBA (branching acroporid), CE (encrusting corals), CF (foliose coral), CFUNG (fungiid), CM (massive corals), and CSUB (sub-massive corals). 

 

 

Results and Discussion

 

            a. Corals

            There was a slight improvement in the average live hard coral cover (LHC) inside and outside the proposed reserve from 2008 to 2009.  The LHC increased from 21% in 2008 to 25% in 2009 outside the proposed reserve, and from 19.33% to 21% in the same period inside the reserve.  The average percentage of dead coral (DC) and dead coral with algae (DCA), however, decreased considerably inside the proposed reserve from 8.33% in 2008 to a mere 2.33% in 2009, while the percentages were approximately maintained outside the reserve. 

 

Whether this increase in coral cover constitutes a real increase or is a result of sampling design cannot be ascertained, as the researchers did not use permanent transects which is the best method to use if monitoring coral growth.  However, the drastic decrease of dead coral inside the reserve is indicating that the reef here is not receiving as much damage as outside the boundaries, which over time will eventually result to higher coral cover inside the reserve.

 

 One thing that is sure however, is that live hard coral cover  inside and immediately outside the reserve are relatively stable, and if conditions remain the same (constant protection), this trend will continue over time and real improvements will be noted in the future.

 

 

           

            Figure 2. Substrate trend from 2008-2009 inside and immediately outside the proposed MPA.

 

 

            b. Fish

            While the recovery of damaged corals might take time, this situation is not applicable to fish communities. Fish, especially top predators and target species, respond very quickly to protection, and this is why their biomass, density, and diversity are more reliable to gauge the effectivity of newly established MPAs. 

 

            Biomass, or the weight of living tissue, is the best indicator of reserve effectivity, as these take time to build up, and is the best “tell-tale” sign of whether an area has been protected constantly.  The constant protection of the proposed MPA in Dive Hub is very evident—total fish biomass increased by a factor of 2.6, and target fish biomass increased by a factor of 3.4  in only one year inside the reserve (Figure 5). The same parameters have also increased outside, although not by the same magnitude—it increased by a factor of 1.7 for total fish biomass, and by a factor or 2.8 for target species (Figure 4).

 

This general over-all increase in fish biomass inside and immediately outside the proposed reserve is a

very good indicator that the area is recovering well. It also means good news for the community, as there are more fish outside the reserve now than farther away that they can harvest for their daily consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3. A school of parrotfish in the reserve. (Photo: A.W. Kleiven)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4 (left) & Figure 5 (right).   Trends in average biomass for total, target, and  top predatory species outside (control) and inside (reserve) the proposed MPA from 2008-2009.

 

 

 

`Fish density for all categories (total, target, and top predator species) increased both inside (Figure 5)  and immediately outside (Figure 6) the reserve.  Although at first glance, the control area seems to have more fish compared to the reserve area, it should be noted that the reserve had much higher densities of target fish and top predatory species compared to outside. The presence of a large number of juvenile groupers in the reserve and adjacent fished area was also noted. The increase in top predator densities in the control area might be an indication that some species are moving out of the reserve.  Most probably, their presence in the control area could mean that the reserve is simply too small to contain their territories, and thus they were also  observed outside.  

Figure 5 (left) and Figure 6 (right). Trends in density of target, top predatory species, as well as total density of fishes observed inside the proposed reserve and immediately outside.

 

            In terms of relative abundance, pomacentrids (damselfishes) were the most numerous fish observed in all areas from 2008 to 2009, followed by serranids (groupers and fairy basslets) (Figure 7, 8). Pomacentrids are the most dominant fish family in disturbed reefs.   However, it should be noted that the relative percentage of other fish families increased considerably in both the control and reserve areas for 2009, indicating that the diversity of other fish species is on the increasing trend.

 

Figure 7. A large school of fairy basslets inside the reserve. (Photo: A.W. Kleiven)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 8 . Trends in family abundance for fish species outside and inside the reserve from 2008- 2009.

            The diversity of fish species observed in the area has also increased significantly, from 201 species noted in 2008, to 260 fish species noted in 2009, which is a significant increase of 29% more compared to the year before (see Annex A for complete species list).

 

Conclusions and Recommendations

 

            The proposed Dive Hub MPA is a well-managed, functional reserve, based on the scientific evidence that was gathered from surveys in 2008 and 2009.  It is a shining example of what a small group of dedicated people can do if they really put their hearts and hands into protecting the coral reef. It is remarkable that such a rich variety of marine life can thrive in such a small area.  The small reserve offers hope for all the reefs in the Siaton area—if such a small area can create such an impact on the nearby fisheries, how much more beneficial would it be if we protected all our MPAs properly and establish more MPAs?

The protection regime that has been followed for the past 2 years is indeed bearing fruit. This constant protection should continue so that the benefits of a functional reserve—increased fish diversity, biomass and density—can be realized not only inside the reserve but in the in the nearby fished areas as well. 

 

Figure 9.  A school of fusiliers observed inside the reserve. (Photo: A.W. Kleiven)

It is also recommended that the area of the reserve be increased eventually, as it is currently too small to afford full protection to species that need large areas of reef to thrive, such as jacks, snappers, and other commercially important fish species.

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

            The authors would like to thank the entire staff of Dive Hub for making this survey very enjoyable for us.  Mr. Arne Willy Kleiven took the underwater photos and provided important logistics support, We look forward to future collaborations and a better, bigger MPA.  May the tribe grow.

 

 

References:

 

Alcala, A.C., A. Bucol, and P. Nillos-Kleiven. In press. Directory of Marine Protected Areas in the Visayas, Philippines. Oceanfriends Foundation Inc, Dumaguete City, Philippines. 192 pp.

 

Allen, G., R. Steene, P. Humann, and N. Deloach. 2003. Reef fish identification: Tropical Pacific. New World Publications, Inc. 457 pp.

 

Allen, G., and R. Steene. 1998. Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide. Tropical Reef Research; Singapore. 378pp.

 

English, S., C. Wilkinson, and V. Baker. 1997. Survey Manual for Tropical Marine Resources, 2^nd ed. Australian Institute of Marine Science. ASEAN-Australia Marine Science Project. Townsville, Australia. 390 pp.

 

Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. 2000. FishBase 2000: concepts, designs and data sources. ICLARM, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. 344 pp.

 

Lieske, E., and R. Myers. 2002.  Coral reef fishes: Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Revised ed. Princeton University Press, USA. 400 pp.

 

 

ANNEX A

Family	Spname	2008	2009	Grand Total
Acanthuridae	Acanthurus lineatus	1	1	1
	Acanthurus mata	1	1	1
	Acanthurus nigricans		1	1
	Acanthurus nigrofuscus	1	1	1
	Acanthurus pyroferus	1	1	1
	Acanthurus xanthopterus		1	1
	Ctenochaetus binotatus	1	1	1
	Ctenochaetus cyanocheilus	1	1	1
	Ctenochaetus striatus	1	1	1
	Naso annulatus		1	1
	Naso brachycentron	1	1	1
	Naso caeruleacauda	1	1	1
	Naso hexacanthus	1		1
	Naso lopezi		1	1
	Naso minor	1	1	1
	Naso unicornis		1	1
	Naso vlamingii		1	1
	Zebrasoma scopas	1	1	1
Apogonidae	Apogon aureus	1	1	1
	Apogon bandanensis		1	1
	Apogon compressus	1	1	1
	Apogon cyanosoma		1	1
	Apogon sealei		1	1
	Archamia melasma		1	1
	Cheilodipterus artus		1	1
	Cheilodipterus macrodon		1	1
	Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus	1	1	1
Aulostomidae	Aulostomus chinensis	1	1	1
Balistidae	Balistapus undulatus	1	1	1
	Balistoides conspicillum	1		1
	Balistoides viridescens	1	1	1
	Melichthys vidua		1	1
	Odonus niger	1	1	1
	Rhinecanthus verrucosus	1	1	1
Belonidae	Tylosurus crocodilus		1	1
Blennidae	Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos	1	1	1
	Plagiotremus tapeinosoma	1	1	1
Caesionidae	Caesio caerulaurea	1	1	1
	Pterocaesio pisang		1	1
	Pterocaesio tesselata		1	1
Chaetodontidae	Chaetodon auriga	1	1	1
	Chaetodon baronessa	1	1	1
	Chaetodon citrinellus		1	1
	Chaetodon kleini	1	1	1
	Chaetodon lunulatus	1	1	1
	Chaetodon melannotus	1	1	1
	Chaetodon ornatissimus	1	1	1
	Chaetodon punctatofasciatus	1	1	1
	Chaetodon rafflesi	1	1	1
	Chaetodon selene	1		1
	Chaetodon trifascialis	1	1	1
	Chaetodon ulietensis	1		1
	Chaetodon unimaculatus	1	1	1
	Chaetodon vagabundus	1	1	1
	Coradion melanopus		1	1
	Cordion chrysozonus	1		1
	Forcipiger flavissimus	1	1	1
	Forcipiger longirostris	1	1	1
	Heniochus chrysostomus		1	1
	Heniochus diphreutes		1	1
	Heniochus flavissimus		1	1
	Heniochus singularis		1	1
	Heniochus varius	1	1	1
Cirrhitidae	Cirrhitichthys falco	1	1	1
	Paracirrhites forsteri	1	1	1
Diodontidae	Cyclichthys orbicularis		1	1
Echeneidae	Echeneis naucrates	1		1
Ephippidae	Platax pinnatus		1	1
	Platax teira	1	1	1
Fistulariidae	Fistularia commersoni		1	1
Gobiidae	Amblyeleotris guttata		1	1
	Amblyeleotris randalli		1	1
	Amblyeleotris steinitzi		1	1
	Amblygobius decussatus		1	1
	Amblygobius hectori	1	1	1
	Amblygobius phalaena		1	1
	Ctenogobius tangaroai		1	1
	Valenciennea puellaris		1	1
	Valenciennea strigata		1	1
Haemulidae	Diagramma pictum		1	1
	Plectorhicnhus chaetodonoides	1		1
	Plectorhicnhus lessoni		1	1
	Plectorhicnhus vittatus	1		1
Holocentridae	Myripristis berndti		1	1
	Myripristis kuntee	1		1
	Myripristis murdjan		1	1
	Sargocentron cornutum		1	1
	Sargocentron diadema		1	1
	Sargocentron melanospilos		1	1
	Sargocentron spiniferum		1	1
Kyphosidae	Kyphosus sp.		1	1
Labridae	Anampses geographicus	1	1	1
	Anampses melanurus		1	1
	Anampses meleagrides	1	1	1
	Anampses twistii	1	1	1
	Bodianus axillaris		1	1
	Bodianus diana	1	1	1
	Bodianus mesothorax	1	1	1
	Cheilinus fasciatus		1	1
	Cheilinus oxycephalus	1